Marisa Grunder, 27 of Wilton, Iowa, is given a shot during trials of an H1N1 vaccine, developed by CSL of Australia, at University of Iowa Health Care, the University's medical center, on August 11, 2009 in Iowa City, Iowa. The university's medical center is one of 8 trial sites across the nation conducting human studies on the new vaccine which is looking at optimal dosage levels for a variety of age groups. (Photo by David Greedy/Getty Images)

The least expensive products available on Minnesota’s new health insurance exchange carry lower prices than those offered in 36 other states, according to a report released Friday by the state Commerce Department.

The 36 other states are those that decided not to set up their own exchanges, opting to let the federal government run them. Minnesota is in the minority of states that created its own exchange to comply with the federal Affordable Care Act.

Using the same criteria as a federal government survey, state Commerce Department officials calculated an average for premiums that a 27-year-old Minnesotan would pay for the lowest-cost “bronze” policies offered in Minnesota across nine regions; the rate is $111 a month.

That’s slightly better than the lowest comparable rate in Oklahoma, where a 27-year-old buying a bronze plan will pay an average of $114 a month. It’s also cheaper than in Wisconsin, where the average monthly bronze rate across all regions is $189, according to the Commerce Department analysis.

The new health exchanges are marketplaces where individuals and small businesses can obtain coverage starting Oct. 1, in accordance with the law. Products sold will be grouped into four levels — bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

“The price difference is significant,” the Commerce Department said Friday in a news release. “A 27 year-old Minnesotan can purchase a gold plan for $20 less per month than a bronze plan sold across the border in Wisconsin — resulting in more health care options at a lower cost.”

The age of 27 is important because the federal law permits people to remain on their parents’ health plans up to age 26.

The federal data, which considered only the 36 states, and not Minnesota, found the average for the lowest-cost plans offered is $163 a month for a 27-year-old buying a bronze policy. The most expensive comparable premiums will be found in Wyoming, $286 a month.

The numbers reflect what consumers would pay if they don’t receive tax credits from the federal government. Many consumers who shop on health exchanges, however, will receive credits that significantly reduce their out-of-pocket costs.

In a news release, the Commerce Department said the new analysis shows Minnesota has the lowest rates in the nation. But a department spokeswoman acknowledged in an interview that the new comparison doesn’t include all states.

This week, Gov. Mark Dayton and other Democrats who pushed to create the state’s health exchange — known as MNsure — seized on one chart in Wednesday’s federal survey that suggested Minnesota had the lowest overall average benchmark premium out of 48 states in the country. But health care experts said the comparison was flawed because the Minnesota figure was based on premiums just in the Twin Cities, which is the lowest-cost region of the state.

“Today’s analysis was focused on the state-wide average of health insurance rates to make a direct comparison, rather than the metro-area average calculated earlier this month,” the Commerce Department release stated.

Neither the Commerce Department study nor the federal report compared premiums that will be available on state health exchanges with the premiums consumers currently are paying in the private market.

Republicans argue that the more meaningful comparison would contrast MNsure premiums with what consumers pay today, noting that some consumers shopping now for coverage can find products with a lower monthly premium. Democrats counter that such a comparison constitutes an apples-to-oranges analysis, since the federal health law imposes new requirements on insurance companies that make products fundamentally different than current policies.

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